Overtraining occurs when the body experiences persistent and deep fatigue as a result of too strenuous physical exercise. This phenomenon is well-documented in the professional sport setting, though it is a completely different story among amateurs, who generally combine their demanding training with various professional and family duties.

It’s time to set your healthy eating and performance goals for the new year. While the holidays were filled with joy and indulgence, the side effects of poor nutrition and inactivity can make it hard to ramp up your training in the best way.

Here are some easy beginner swim tricks to simplify swimming when beginning. Swim lingo and technique tweaks will always be necessary as you grow as a triathlete, but remember you have to start somewhere. These eight tips will help sharpen your mermaid or shark freestyle fins.

What you put in your stomach before, during, and after exercise can mean all the difference between a winning performance and one that leaves you limping across the finish line. And while there is no shortage of super-engineered sports nutrition products on the market, your pantry may already hold the key to your next PR. Presenting simple, inexpensive grocery staples backed by science to keep you going strong.

This week’s workout is a deceptively tough aerobic session that focuses more on movement and feel for the water than any specific fitness gains. During the holiday season, it’s easy to lose the range of motion and adaptation that makes a successful open-water swimmer, so consider this set a way to build up (and wake up) the swimming muscles that go often inert.

Sport drinks are a necessary part of the endurance athlete’s fueling strategy—not just for their hydrating properties, but for a quick caloric hit as well. This hit usually comes in the form of sugar: Sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltodextrin, and their ilk are mainstays in sport drink, touted for their easy digestibility and potent punch of energy.

After a week’s worth of racing in the Doha heat, the 2016 Road World Championships come to a close on Sunday with the elite men’s road race. At more than 250km in length it’s one of the longest races of the year and the chance for one rider to earn the right to wear the rainbow jersey for the next 12 months.

Here’s what you need to know about the elite men’s road race at the Doha Worlds.

Revealing that a major story is coming soon about hidden motors, the inventor of the mechanical devices, Istvan ‘Stefano’ Varjas has said that he sold one of the devices to an unnamed person in 1998 and then obeyed a exclusivity agreement for ten years.

“It was the end of ‘98 and I had to stay quiet until 2009, for ten years. It was time for sleeping, ten years,” Varjas told Ger Gilroy, the presenter of the Newstalk radio show Off the Ball.

“In 1998 I just sold one prototype. To my friend. I got big money, I just go to sleep for ten years and I don’t do anything.

Hi! How’s it going? This morning was chilly so I wore a long sleeve top for my run. Even though SoCal doesn’t get super cold, the mornings are definitely cool with a crisp chill in the air. If you’re from a humid place that tends to hold onto the heat all day it can be surprising how cool SoCal mornings and evenings are!

Capitalize on your end-of-season tri fitness to boost your run speed in 2017.

As the triathlon season comes to an end, it’s the perfect time to take all of your hard-earned fitness and use it as a springboard to improve your running. Your annual fitness is at an all-time high as you peak for your last triathlon of the year, and it’s an ideal chance to have a goal marathon or half-marathon late in the season. If you are ending your tri season with an iron-distance race, you’ll want to give your run legs a break before embarking on run training again. However, if you are an athlete who is finishing your triathlon season with a half-iron or shorter distance race, here’s how to maximize your tri fitness to be even stronger off the bike in 2017.

A delicate situation. A challenge. Time to reassess. Time to start from scratch.

These are among the phrases used at the Vuelta a España, by BMC Racing directors as well as peloton insiders, to describe American Tejay van Garderen, who abandoned the Spanish race on Stage 17 after riding in support of Samuel Sánchez.

Chances are you’ve heard of creatine supplements before. While more usually associated with bodybuilders or footballers, the use of creatine is also fairly common among track cyclists, especially those in the sprint disciplines. So does creatine supplementation also have a role for road cyclists? Dietitian Alan McCubbin investigates.

I saw a woman’s face in a cycling bunch ride two weeks ago that is imprinted on my mind, because it’s a face I know so well. I had never met this woman, but what I recognized was that look. Her face wasn’t necessarily filled with determination, but fear. You could see she was riddled with nerves and as she pushed harder to keep up she didn’t have the pain-face we all know that shows grit and even just a little enjoyment in the challenge of pushing harder. Instead it was just furrowed brows and a grimace.

Signing up is just step one. Now you start the work and planning for a successful run. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 5k, 10k, half marathon or a full 26.2 miles – there are certain things all runners should do when they sign up for a race. Check out this list as part of your race preparation…

When demands build up, sleep is the account we make the most withdrawals upon, rarely paying it back sufficiently. But what price in health, performance and longevity do we really end up paying for that debt?

Every Tuesday we’ll feature a different coach’s workout you can complete in 60 minutes (or less!).

This week’s run workout comes from coach Sue Sotir of Breakthrough Performance Coaching in Ipswich, Mass. “Running requires enough time to be durable and to have the engine to support your goals, and rewards economical and efficient movements that require coordinated muscular activations—but it also punishes you if you overdo any of the work. This session is designed as one that lets you push your engine, but also includes enough recovery to be able to keep pushing that engine appropriately during other parts of the week.”

Triathletes, runners, and cyclists all like to push their bodies to the limit. However, it is how well you recover that determines how much quality training you can do. Coach Lynda Wallenfels explains the best recovery practices that will help you stay healthy and training hard.

The most effective exercises for combatting patellar tendonitis might be the simplest

For those who experience knee pain, relief may be as simple as holding a squat.

According to a study published in the August 2016 issue of Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, Australian researchers found isometric exercises—steady-state exercises, like wall sits and planks—can relieve knee pain caused by patellar tendonitis.

The fall season is packed with running events of all distances. If you are starting to worry that you may not be ready for your event, these tips from coach Bob Mittleman will help you be prepared and ready to achieve your goals.

This five-part run workout series will improve your speed while reinforcing proper form.Developing your run speed is not just about improving your fitness—it also requires a focus on efficiency in order to see real results over time. This progressive workout series from coach Dan McIntosh of Trisutto.com, is ideal for novice and intermediate athletes—as well as athletes returning from injury—because it gradually builds speed and endurance while reinforcing good form.

“Oftentimes we think quality is just about intensity, but I force my athletes, especially the beginners, to fight the urge to run faster and instead refine their movements under tighter control and lower stress,” McIntosh says. The workout starts with 20 minutes in week one and builds to 55 minutes of total running.

Do this work out once or twice a week, moving on to the next level after 2–3 weeks. These sessions should be done on a treadmill or a consistently flat, even surface.

Used correctly, swim paddles are a helpful tool for building strength and power. Paddles are designed to increase the swimmer’s hand surface area, creating greater forward momentum when correctly pulled through the water. They are often used in tandem with a pull buoy to place more emphasis on the upper body by removing all propulsion from the legs. While paddles are useful for training, they can add additional strain on the shoulders and amplify any faulty mechanics in your stroke. Because of this, new swimmers should refrain from using paddles until they have at least two years of swim training under their belt. This will allow time for technique improvement and muscle adaptation before introducing paddles.

“I’m excited to be back,” said Van Vleuten, who just a few weeks ago was still bruised and battered with a severe concussion and three broken vertebrae.

The Dutchwoman shocked fans worldwide when, on the now infamous descent of the Chinese Vista in Rio de Janeiro, she misjudged a corner and crashed into the concrete curb, flipping over her handlebars and landing awkwardly on a raised gutter. She lay motionless for several minutes and many feared the worst.

Who doesn’t love the banter at the post-ride park-up? Talk of the ride, other adventures, equipment and then there are those tidbits that usually fall under the class of TMI (too much information). Something I love about the ladies I ride with, is there is never such a thing as TMI. So true to form over my delicious almond chai on the weekend, the talk turned to sore lady-bits, to be specific saddle sores – that unwanted guest you never want to visit.

Men’s Health issues are rarely spoken about in the public forum and for some reason there seems to be a lot of confusion around what should be common knowledge when it comes to guy’s sexual and reproductive health. So instead of burying our heads in the sand and pretending we all know what’s what when it comes to vasectomy, we got some professionals to come in to provide some wise advice for those who have had, or who are looking to have the procedure, but who are concerned about when, if and how they might get back on their bike.

You probably thought this post was going to be about how to get your tongue un-stuck from the frozen flagpole, but you would be wrong.

Who else loves this movie beyond belief?

We are going down a serious road today, folks.

Lately,

I’ve been stuck.

I’m been trudging through the motions, but with no particular vision or enthusiasm. After a summer filled with intense training (which culminated in my big 6 day race), then immediately sending Sam off to college, I kind of fell into a funk. And life felt like it slowed to a grinding halt.

Below is an interview with Dr. Scott A. Rodeo regarding shoulder pain in swimmers, MRIs, and injury prevention. Dr. Scott Rodeo is the Head Team Physician for the New York Giants and is the Co-Chief Emeritus, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at the Hospital for Special Surgery. He is Professor of Orthapaedic Surgery at Cornell University and is an Attending Surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery and the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Rodeo served as a Team Physician for the United States Olympic Team in 2004, 2008. and 2012 and has worked as the Team Physician for the U.S. National Swim Team at four international competitions. Rodeo is also the Medical Advisor to the Asphalt Green Swim Team in New York City, NY. Rodeo is highly decorated for his work in research and surgery, having won the Charles Neer Award from the American Shoulder and Elbow Society and the Excellence in Research Award from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Rodeo graduated cum laude from Stanford University, where he completed his undergraduate work while on an athletic scholarship. He completed medical school graduating with honors from Cornell University Medical College.

High-volume, low-intensity vs low-volume, high-intensity training is one of the main concepts discussed in Part 1 and Part 2 of this journal. Evidence of the physiological effects of HIT (or HIIT) is of major interest for the sports science research community and every month several articles add more pieces to the HIT puzzle, including for swimming (1).

However, HIT’s effects on pre- and post-pubescents are still unclear due to a lack of published scientific papers. Coaches and athletes under 13 years old are trying to achieve the best results with various different training workouts.

A bike guru’s advice for developing and maintaining a perfect time trial position.

Professional triathlete Laura Siddall credited her second-place breakthrough performance at February’s Challenge Wanaka to working with coach Paul Buick, a New Zealand native who serves as the Purplepatch Fitness bike guru. Buick is known for going beyond just the bike fit—he assists athletes with how they shouldinteract with the bike.

While it’s not practical for most athletes to work so closely with a personal cycling coach, Buick shares his advice for developing and maintaining the perfect position on the bike.

Table of Contents

Prepare your joints for training and racing with this routine.

In order to properly free up the areas where triathletes tend to be tight, a proper warm-up should entail more than just a jog, says Erin Carson, founder of ECFIT Boulder, owner of Rally Sport Health & Fitness and strength coach to countless Boulder-based pros. “Swimming, biking and running work our joints in a limited range of motion,” she says. “Our hips, ankles and thoracic spines in particular get tight and short from so much repetitive motion. Mobility helps undo this tightness and allows us greater access to the muscles we’ve developed through training.”

Carson recommends incorporating mobility exercises into your weekly training as well as your pre-race routine (after a 8-10 minute warm-up jog). Here’s her favorite race day routine, which can easily be performed in the transition area.

Triathlon wetsuits have an average shelf life of about two years, according to Kenzie Jones of Poco Loco Swim Shop in Provo, Utah. However, that short lifespan is usually attributed to poor care, not poor quality. “I know someone who takes amazing care of his wetsuits, is in the water multiple times a week, and has a suit that’s lasted him seven years,” says Jones. “It’s just now showing visual signs of wear and tear.”

You can be like that guy, saving some money and enjoying a long, happy relationship with your wetsuit by showing it some love with these tips from Jones:

If watching the Olympics was an Olympic sport I’d have a gold medal. I am obsessed. I’m also super into reading about all the behind the scenes stuff on the athletes. One of the hot topics is illegal drug use (doping). More than 100 Russian athletes were banned from the games for using banned drugs.

For coaches getting started with a new athlete, or for self-coached athletes, analyzing the details around fitness history, strengths and weaknesses, response to training load, and more helps to more quickly develop a truly effective program. Coach Eric Griffin outlines how he uses WKO4 to gain faster insights.

Mental toughness is often what separates a good athlete from a great one. Columnist and author Brad Stulberg moderated the Psychology of High Performance Panel at the 2016 Endurance Coaching Summit and offers his key takeaways from the session.

This Olympic-distance specific set will get you ready for your next 1500-meter swim. The A set is based on intervals of 1:20–1:30 per 100. The B set is based on intervals of 1:50–2:00 per 100. The C set is 2,000–2,500 yards/meters total and based on a rest interval.

Thanksgiving and the entire holiday season can be a nutritional nightmare for weight and performance conscious endurance athletes. While fear over gaining performance robbing pounds is certainly a concern, most athletes also understand that sugar and fat laden diets can further undermine performance. Nutrition is certainly a secret ingredient to boosting “in-season” performance. Off-season nutrition, as we’ll see below, should be viewed in a similar light but with a focus on maintaining the status quo and not undermining improvements made in the previous season.

Rather that reinvent the wheel, we asked some of our favorite Doc’s Skincare sponsored athletes for their tips and tricks on how to enjoy the holidays without getting behind (too much) on the upcoming season. We found their responses to be spot-on and very practical. Their insight will be sure to help you this holiday season and you too can eat like a pro athlete at Thanksgiving. What you will find is MORE than just “what to eat on Thanksgiving Day” or “what to eat on Thanksgiving that is healthy”. This stuff is pure gold and will help you avoid any nutrition snafu during any holiday, party or sport-eating event.

Top advice from someone who should know

Breanne Nadler is a professional cyclist with DNA p/b K4 Racing. In addition to being an all around phenom on the road, she earned a BS in Biology AND a Masters degree in Nutrition and Sports Dietetics from the University of Utah. She is licensed as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). The bottom line is:

She’s fast on a bike

She’s smart as heck

She knows something about the stuff your putting in your mouth

Her on-the-bike accolades include being the top amateur finisher in the US Pro National road race in 2014, NRC podium finishes at the Cascade Classic and Mt Hood stage races, overall UCA points leader 2013, and Utah state time trial and hill climb champion 2013 and 2014.

When we asked Breanne for a little help with “how to eat like a pro at Thanksgiving”, it turns out that she’d already written an entire article on the subject. As she puts it, an athlete’s focus over Thanksgiving (and the whole holiday season in fact) shouldn’t be weight loss but focusing on how to “better manage their training and eating throughout the holiday season and, thus, be ready to ramp up their training in the spring (vs simply trying to undo all the damage they did over the winter months!)”.

Interestingly, Breanne tells that most people do not gain as much weight on average as they assume. Instead of the 7-10 pounds that most people guess, the average amount of weight that people gain amounts to only a single pound. The overall health and weight issue develops because that single pound is rarely lost so “that seemingly small amount of weight gained over a given holiday season can add up over the years”.

Here are some of her “tried and true strategies” for maintaining sound nutrition over Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays:

• Take preventative measures: If you tend to overeat at parties, try eating a low-calorie snack to help curb your appetite before leaving the house. Chances are if you arrive at the party ravenous, you will overeat.
• Don’t vow to eat nothing at a special event: In doing so, you will just be setting yourself up for failure and subsequent guilt. Instead, limit your selections to foods you don’t typically eat and keep your portion sizes under control.
• When it comes to seconds, use the 20- minute rule: It typically takes 20 minutes after you have eaten for your satiety center to kick in and register that you are full. Thus, before going back for a second helping, wait 20 minutes. If you still feel hungry, go for seconds but keep your portion sizes small and go easy on the high-fat, high-calorie foods.
• Share the wealth: If you host a party or dinner, have disposable containers available for guests to take home leftovers. This will help get tempting foods out of your house entirely!
• Bring the healthy dish: When contributing to the party, take something low in calories and high in nutrition, such as raw vegetables and hummus, fresh fruit, or a less guilty desert.
• Go easy on the alcohol: Most people are well aware of the added poundage that can be brought on by mashed potatoes and gravy or pecan pie. Don’t underestimate that alcohol itself is chock-full of calories (kcals). For example, a typical two ounces of alcohol (such as might be found in a typical mixed drink) contains approximately 141 kcals, and that’s not including the mixer, which can easily add another 100-300 kcals! An eight-ounce glass of eggnog with rum contains 400 kcals. Beer and wine may be smarter options, with 150 kcals for a typical serving (i.e., 12 and eight ounces, respectively). And research suggests that those additional alcohol calories are stored as fat instead of used for energy. In addition, alcohol tends to distort our nutritional judgment, causing us to consume more high-calorie, high-fat foods than we would if we were not under the influence.
Exercise! While it is a good idea to balance your energy intake with the appropriate amount of exercise on a regular basis, it is particularly important during the off season. Unfortunately, many cyclists use the excuse of a “hectic holiday schedule” to sideline their exercise program. Colder temperatures and shorter days can also make cycling (outside) uncomfortable and even unsafe. Rather than ditch the training programs altogether, cyclists should explore the multitude of winter sports in their area, preferably those that compliment or enhance their cycling such as Nordic and/or alpine skiing, ice-skating and snowshoeing. This would also be a good time to get back into the weight room and work on your strength and power (not to mention your bone health!). And, of course, there are numerous indoor cycling options ranging from group spin classes to stationary bikes and trainers that you can purchase for your own personal use at home.

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Learning from a notorious “sport-eater”

Troy Wells races for the Team CLIF Bar Mountain Bike & Cyclocross squads. Per his team’s website: “Troy can also eat a ridiculous amount of food. On the way to CrossVegas one year, Troy downed a burrito that was the size of a large house cat. The folks who ran the restaurant all came out to meet him when they’d heard he cleaned his plate. It was pretty impressive. And a little gross.” So we figured that Troy would know a little something about eating well and keeping that endurance athlete physique in check.

Troy’s tidbits include:

Get your workout in early on thanksgiving. People love to eat at crazy times. Who eats dinner @ 2 p.m?

Don’t eat what you don’t enjoy. Just because its on the table doesn’t mean you have to eat it or sample it.

Don’t stress about eating to much food. It’s not like you are going to gain more than one pound off of one meal.

Just go to sleep let the tryptophan do its work.

Eat the leftover pies as your recovery meal after training for the next couple days.

I normally only have a leftover meal the day after. You can only eat the same turkey meal so many days in a row.

Lucky for me I’m normally in the middle of the season so I don’t need to find motivation to train around the holiday.

A great time of the year to do the thanksgiving 5k or go for a hike in the a.m

Sometimes the best advice is simple

Jacob Rathe is an American professional road racing cyclist who rides for Jelly Belly-Maxxis and lives in Portland, OR. His accolades include 2nd in the 2011National U-23 Road Race Championships, 3rd in the 2011 Paris-Roubaix Espoirs, 7th in the 2014 National Road Race Championships and 9th in the 2014 Philadelphia International Championships. We’ve had the great opportunity of spending a little time with him since Doc’s started sponsoring Jelly Belly in 2015. Noticing his wit and pragmatism, we thought his advice would be perfect and to-the-point.

Not one to disappoint, his advice is simple: “Do as big of a ride as possible, then eat as much as possible, then fall asleep at 6. ”

Putting it together

Surviving the holiday season for a nutrition-conscious athlete doesn’t have to be daunting or centered on self-denial. Even professional athletes enjoy themselves when sweets and treats appear around every corner, meeting, party and meal. Keeping one’s body primed and ready for the upcoming season can be as simple as using a few simple strategies.

What are your strategies for surviving the holiday season? Post your comments below or let us know at info@docsskincare.com

Have you ever wondered how we make Doc’s Natural Chamois Cream for cyclists?

Would you like to know the secret behind its winning formula?

The backstory about “Doc”

It all starts with me and my sensitive derriere in 2004. I grew up racing bikes as a USA Cycling (USCF back then) junior in Texas and enjoyed the sport all the way through college racing for various teams including the Fightin’ Texas Aggies. We were pretty good back then and even pulled of a nice finish in the Team Time Trial at Collegiate National Championships on less than ideal equipment that matched our redneck personas. Despite my delusions of grandeur, I wasn’t the next Greg LeMond so I headed off to medical school to pursue my other dream after college. I rarely rode a bike of any kind during 4 years of medical school and only started riding at the tail end of 7 years of surgical residency because my sleek 158 pound endurance athlete body had slowly swelled into a 200+lb embarrassment.

My return to cycling was not all that easy. The worst part was that my once bulletproof hind-end was sensitive beyond reason. Even though I grew up in the era of chamois pads made with REAL chamois leather, I had never used chamois cream prior to version 2.0 of my cycling experience. At a friend’s suggestion, I tried a popular brand of chamois cream for cyclists. It worked great…for about 5 minutes. Thinking there was SOME brand out there that actually worked, I tried every brand of chamois cream for cyclists in existence from this country and abroad. I experienced the same problem over and over: either they didn’t work at all (other than giving me a “loaded diaper” feeling) or they worked for about 5 minutes before my body either absorbed or sweated the stuff off.

EVERY chamois cream on the market back then was loaded with stuff I really didn’t want on my most sensitive areas (more on this later)

Being completely disillusioned with the chamois cream for cyclists available, still very much uncomfortable on the bike, and a little cheap, I decided I could make chamois cream myself in 2006. I went to various supply houses, pharmacies, and organic markets looking for stuff like shea butter, lanolin, tea tree oil, and zinc oxide. I talked to various compounding pharmacists and formulation chemists. I made a few interesting batches of chamois cream in my kitchen. Some were better then others and no two batches were the same. One thing was clear, however, I could make a chamois cream for cyclists that kicked the pants off of what was available for retail.

By around 2008, I began wondering if I could actually sell this stuff. It turns out that the FDA has pretty strong opinions on selling stuff that people put on or in their bodies (please don’t put chamois cream IN your body). Worse yet, manufacturing a skincare product in mass quantities requires a “formula”, significant capital, and a commitment to very large quantities. It took a couple of years but I navigated the FDA regulations and got an on-the-job education in cosmetic formulation. Cosmetic formulation requires the skills of a formulation chemist to assure that large mass-produced quantities of products are made properly. A simple recipe describing “a cup of this and a tablespoon of that” won’t work.

Chamois cream wish list

Top view of a wide open aloe vera plant.

Before we could manufacture the stuff we wanted to sell, no less than a half-dozen versions of our chamois cream were tested. Our formulation chemist took our initial wish list and made 3 initial prototypes. The biggest items on our wish list were:

A HEAVY dose of Tee Tree Oil and Witch Hazel in order to naturally fight bacteria and yeast/fungus

ABSOLUTELY no mineral oil (did you know that stuff is made from petroleum!?)

Water could NOT be the first ingredient (in case you didn’t know, the ingredient listed first on an ingredient list is the most prevalent ingredient; most chamois creams list water first…what’s the point in that!?)

It had to be as natural as possible while still being safe and stable on store shelves

It has to last for hours (see #3)

Testing prototypes

We tested some really interesting chamois cream prototypes including a version we called “Doc’s Extra Chunky”. It was chock full of shea butter which tended to be clumpy. One test rider referred to the chunks as “ball bearings” for your chamois. It actually worked great but we determined that typical consumers would be put off by chunks in their chamois cream.

Armed with what we thought was the final formula, 4 of us headed to the 2010 Tour de France for some cut throat chamois cream testing. Along with being super fan boys, we completed the Nuts of Ventoux, Col du Galibier (this should be a MUST DO on any cyclist’s list), and a local race up Alpe d’Huez (turns out that local French guys are fast but I somehow eeked out a top 10) along with about 6 other trips up the 21 switchbacks. After 10 days of solid riding and many tens of thousands of feet of climbing, there wasn’t a single sore bum or spot of skin break down in the bunch. We knew we had a winner.

Since we started selling Doc’s Natural Chamois Cream in late 2009, we reformulated the secret recipe once. This was in response to the feedback of our valued customers who informed us that our chamois cream for cyclists was a little heat intolerant. We believe we now have the PERFECT chamois cream.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before

You’re on the bike and before you know it you can feel the chafing starting to take place. It may not be the saddles fault or the clothes you’re wearing. You’re going hard and your sweating. Your skin is rubbing against your kit. It’s at that moment you think to yourself “I should have used Chamois Cream”. Now what? First let’s cover using chamois cream.

Chamois cream is an excellent product to prevent chafing, but not all creams are made equal

Your skin is a very sensitive organ and it needs to ‘breathe’ in order to regulate body temperature. Your skin will also absorb products you apply. Many companies use cheap ingredients such as mineral oil and other chemicals to make their products. Why? By using cheaper ingredients they can make more profit when they sell their products; it’s that simple. However, these ingredients are not good for your skin. Mineral oil clogs your pours, which isn’t something you want. Cheap ingredients and chemicals are absorbed by the body and can also irritate your skin which leads to chafing.

At Doc’s we are all about comfort, performance AND using the best natural ingredients available

You know that when you use our Natural Chamois Cream you are applying a product that is not only physician formulated but made by compound pharmacists in FDA approved labs. It might cost a little more in terms of production but we don’t pass those costs to our consumers. You are welcome. Originally chamois pads were made of actual leather which when used for an extended period of time ended up looking like a well worn baseball glove. The creams and ointments at the time were meant to be applied to the chamois bad to make it softer. Chamois pads these days are made of the latest materials and fabrics and they don’t need to be treated. The same can’t be said for your skin. Now chamois cream is made to be applied primarily to you skin. Again, you really do want to use products that used the best ingredients.

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How do you apply chamois cream? We actually get asked this question a lot. It’s simple:

Open up your container of Doc’s Natural Chamois Cream

Take the fingertips of your hand and scoop up some chamois cream. It’s ok to experiment with how much you feel you need to use. Definitely apply liberally since you don’t want to end up using too little.

Apply to your groin area and any other area where rubbing takes place while you are on the bike.

Head on our for a ride and enjoy the comfort of a product that not only performs well but is great for you skin.

Now, let’s say you made the mistake of not using Doc’s Natural Chamois Cream or you happen to develop saddle sores or other types of skin abrasions. The key here is to treat the problem areas post ride, right after you take a shower and clean up. Get out of your bibs or riding shorts ASAP; you don’t want to sit in your sweaty bibs with irritated skin. After your cleaned up you can apply our natural saddle ointment. This product is specifically formulated to not only provide comfort for your irritated skin but to help heal any sores you have. It’s even great for road rash should you take a spill. Since your goal is to make sure your skin heals you don’t want to use products with weird chemicals or ingredients that will clog your pours; your skin NEEDS to breath.

Here is a pro tip from Jonathan Fretter of Team Jelly Belly

He likes to take his natural saddle ointment and combine the entire tub with his Natural Chamois Cream. This will give you better and more long lasting protection. We’ve dubbed it ‘The Fretter Method’. Hey, if it works for the pros then it will definitely work for you.

So, now that you know how to use our chamois cream and our saddle ointment, and the benefits of using products with quality ingredients over those that are bad for your skin, you can rest assured that all of your bike rides will be chafe free.

How to get more power, efficiency & COMFORT

OK, this may be an odd post for a company that makes skincare products for athletes. You know…chamois cream and what not. A post about how to apply chamois cream may seem more appropriate but this little gem is neat.

Despite what we sell, the bottom line is that we are REALLY a comfort company. That’s right COMFORT. From our point of view, if you’re comfortable then you’re gonna go faster with more power and efficiency. We’d all love that!

We found the infographic below that describes which cycling muscle groups are used during particular parts of the pedal stroke. Knowing which muscles are used will undoubtedly help you become more effective. At the very least, it explains why track cyclists have such prominent derrières.

Whether it is the best chamois cream on the planet or a fun little tip like this, we’ve got what you need to become more comfortable on the bike…AND FASTER!!!

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Children and Bicycle Safety

Learning bicycle safety at an early age will help children become responsible riders as adults. Photo Courtesy of worldofbikes.com.

Bikes aren’t just for adults. That’s a given, and if you rode a bike as a kid, you probably set up makeshift ramps in your driveway, did wheelies and attached a card with a clothespin to make that annoying clinking sound against the spokes. You probably had a bike with a banana seat or those silly tassels at the end of the handlebars…but you probably didn’t wear a helmet, did you?

Of course kids fall down while riding bicycles, we all did. And back in the day we slipped, got scuffed and got right back up and continued riding. However, there’s a difference to being reckless (and who wasn’t reckless as a kid?) and playing it safe.

While a bicycle is probably the first type a vehicle that a child rides, it’s important that they take all the necessary precautions before they even hit the road. There are too many incidents of children being seriously injured or killed while riding, so it’s best to keep them safe from the start, especially with these bicycle safety tips geared for kids.

Helmets

Helmets are probably the most important piece of equipment a kid (and an adult) can wear while bicycling. Even if your kid is riding in your driveway, it’s best to start safe as an accident can happen in your driveway. It’s a good way to get them on the right track; if they wear a helmet at a young age, they’ll probably do it when they’re adults, and they will practice safe riding throughout their lives.

Proper Bicycle Size

The size of the bicycle is also important. You should never get your child an oversized bicycle with the ide that they’ll just grow into it. A seven year old probably cannot handle a 26-inch bicycle frame, so its best to have your child properly measured for his or her first bicycle. Another important thing to consider: make sure your child’s first bicycle has footbrakes, as young children are less likely to properly handle the coordination of handbrakes with foot pedals.

Signaling and Dealing with Traffic

While we know how to use hand signals while riding, do we really use them? We probably don’t use them as often as we should. However, it’s not a bad idea to get children into the habit of using them from the start; once they learn them, they never forget how to use them. Most kids think of themselves as invincible, but if they’re riding and make a sudden left turn in front of a car without signaling…you’re just asking for tragedy. Make sure your child has a thorough understanding of how to use hand signals, and to be cautious in dealing with traffic.

Other Safety Precautions

While your child should never ride a bicycle at night, it’s still important that his or her bicycle have reflectors on the front and back of the bike. Even in daytime, bicycles can still be hard to see by cars, especially in shaded areas. A reflective vest might also be a worthy investment, which will also increase their visibility. Another crucial precaution is to teach your child to ride with the flow of traffic, not against it. While some bicyclists ignore this basic rule of the road and ride against traffic, it can be extremely dangerous…approximately one fourth of bicycle and car related accidents are caused by bicyclists riding against traffic.

By teaching your children proper bicycle safety techniques, you’ll help them learn how to be responsible riders and probably save their lives.

So you may be a fan of our skincare products like Doc’s All Natural Chamois Cream. We hope that your catching all the exciting sporting news covering cycling, triathlons, and running on our Facebook Fanpage or in our email news blasts. We love all the latest sporting news like you too and have created RSS feeds on our fanpage that automatically translate French and Dutch into English.

BUT have you noticed that when you click on the translated links, you go to a page that’s ENTIRELY in French or Dutch? Well, this blog post will give you some simple steps to set yourself up with nearly automatic translation of the news stories we’re linking you to.

All you need is Google’s Toolbar for Explorer or Firefox. Go here to download the toolbar for Explorer orhere for Firefox. If you use Google Chrome, you’re ready to translate without adding anything on. Google Chrome will ask you if you’d like to translate automatically whenever you navigate to a foreign language news site.

The following details setting up Explorer with the Google Translator Toolbar. The process for Firefox is similar but not identical.

Once you have the Google Toolbar in place, click on the “More>>” area (circled in yellow below)

Under “More>>” click on “Translate”. Once, “Translate” is a clickable area in your Google Toolbar, you can click on it to translate any webpage that is pulled up in your browser as seen below:

Click on the lower right “Translate” button, select your language, and away you go to new understanding. Remember that Doc’s feeds from Europe are almost always originally in French or Dutch.

Foot Cramps: Don’t Let Them Get You Down

It goes without saying that foot cramps are a major nuisance. And since we always put our entire weight on our feet, it’s inevitable that foot cramps will make an unwelcome appearance. This is especially complicated for athletes, as it can be extremely debilitating and can inevitably affect a run, ride or even swimming.

What are Foot Cramps?

Massage is one method to alleviate foot cramps. Photo courtesy of prevention.com

To put it simply, foot cramps are spasms that affect a group of muscles, with excruciatingly painful results, lasting anywhere from several minutes or in some cases, several days.

For many, foot cramps are often a temporary disturbance that appears as a sharp and eventually debilitating pain in the inner arch and toes. On average, a foot cramp only lasts for a few minutes, yet they have the tendency to be more problematic if they persist, with the likelihood of them causing a possible chronic condition which may require a visit to the doctor.

The causes are numerous, but are mainly associated with stress on the foot. If you’re an avid runner, bicyclist or swimmer, you’ve probably experienced these during any kind of athletic activity. Yet it’s not just athletes that experience foot cramps…everyone at one point has suffered from this podiatric annoyance, even kids.

Some Solutions

In addition to stress, other culprits include poor circulation, obesity, diabetes, dehydration, flat feet, thyroid issues and hormonal imbalances to name a few.

Dehydration, in particular, is seen as a leading cause of foot cramps, especially if you’re not drinking enough water.

These types of cramps can become extremely annoying, as we get older and become less active; muscle fatigue often sets in and poor circulation is often seen as a contributing factor. A lack of blood to our limbs reduces necessary oxygen and cramps are one result of this.

One way to reduce the potential for foot cramps is take vitamins and cut out the junk food. Crucial elements such as potassium and Vitamin D can greatly impact any problems you may have with cramping, especially in your feet. Drinking water is also beneficial…so lay off the soda and replenish your body with water. Also, quitting smoking and cutting down on alcohol intake can greatly help prevent any foot cramps.

How to Alleviate Foot Cramps

If you should suddenly be afflicted by foot cramps while exercising there are some very basic things you can do to make them go away, depending on their severity.

Massaging your feet as well as applying acupressure can actually do the job. The pressure of your fingers can help loosen the muscles. In terms of acupressure, the related points for foot cramps points are the spot between your upper lip and nose…the base of your calf muscle, and the top of your foot between the big toe and second toe. Hold any of these points (or mix them up if you so desire) for one minute and then release. Try again if it doesn’t go away at first.

Basic stretching can also help. While sitting or standing, extend your leg before you and point your toes upwards and then straight ahead. Repeat these motions for about one minute; eventually it will help blood flow through your leg and eventually alleviate the cramp.

This is also where several of Doc’s all natural products can be of help. For example, Doc’s Natural Muscle Balm™ creates a soothing and long lasting warming sensation to speed recovery and ease painful muscles. And Doc’s Natural Massage Elixir™ is specifically designed to provide slickness for a brief massage and then dry without leaving you feeling nasty and greasy.

Preventing Foot Cramps

While foot cramps can sneak up on you when you least expect them. You can take preventive measures to lessen their appearance.

Warming up before you exercise will help loosen you up, as will drinking plenty of water to keep you hydrated. It may also be beneficial to stretch your feet and legs before you go to sleep and after you wake up in the morning. After a ride or a run, take plenty of time to cool down, which will help relax your muscles.

Also important is ensuring that your feet are comfortable. If you’re wearing running or biking shoes, make sure that they have proper padding to help cushion your feet. If you have fallen arches, you may in fact need to get orthotics, which can help give your feet needed support. The same goes for regular sneakers, if you tend to do plenty of walking.

Some Basic Rollerblading Tips

If you’ve never really given rollerblading (aka inline skating) a try, you’ll be pleased to know that it has very positive health benefits and is on par with bicycling and running as a great way to exercise.

While the idea of putting wheels on your feet may be a bit intimidating, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. In fact a little practice in how to ride, stop, start and even fall and get up, can help you perfect your skating skills.

History of the Inline Skate

Known for his eccentric inventions such as self-operating machines (known as automata), John-Joseph Merlin invented the earliest form of what could be considered rollerblades, in 1760. These were basically boots, fastened with small metal wheels that he wore while demonstrating his numerous scientific inventions. While Merlin’s design wasn’t patented, other inventors would toy with the concept over the years until Louis Legrange created a type of inline skates in 1849 for an opera in which the characters were to appear skating on ice inside of a theatre. By all accounts the opera was a disaster, as the actors didn’t know how to stop or turn.

While other variations would follow over the decades, it wasn’t until 1953 when Ernest Kahlert patented an early inline skate that resembles today’s model. It wouldn’t be until the late 1980s that these skates were marketed as ‘Rollerblades’ and became incredibly popular. Rollerblades look a bit like ski boots with four polyurethane wheels mounted onto a frame in a single line (or inline). Rollerblades feature a hard rubber brake, usually on the heel of the boot, which allows skaters to stop or help negotiate turns.

Rollerblading and Health Benefits

Inline Skaters take it to the street. Photo Courtesy of papershower.com

Rollerblading is great for your heart as a cardio exercise. For example, if you were to skate for just 15 minutes you can burn close to 200 calories, whereas within an hour you can burn off up to 650.

Despite what you may think, inline skating is a low impact exercise that, according to some doctors, is more beneficial than bicycling and running. As you’re constantly moving your legs and arms, skating also helps to improve your hip, thigh, arm and back muscles.

If you tend to be on the klutzy side, rollerblading can help you get a hold of your overall coordination. Balance is the key (the same as riding a bicycle, ice skating, skateboarding, etc.), and it may a little time to get used to, but skating will generally improve your flexibility as well as your coordination. Once you manage your balance you’ll be able to blade with a seamless flow.

Different Types of Rollerblades

There are many types of inline skates, with varying wheel sizes that are available for different applications, such as roller hockey, aggressive skating, freestyle slalom and speed skating among others. As the wheels come in different sizes, it should be noted that the smaller the wheel, the greater the acceleration and ability to maneuver, while larger wheels gradually take more energy to get going.

Whatever type of skate you choose, be sure that they’re comfortable and fit properly; any extra space on the sides and in the toes and heels, where your feet might have a tendency to slip, can cause problems. At first, gaining some sort of balance may be problematic, but that’s part of the challenge, especially learning how to move your feet and legs. If you’ve done a fair amount of ice-skating, then this should come as second nature.

Getting Started

If you’ve managed to master the basic movements to get you going, then you should move on to the next phase: Falling down and getting up.

First things first: get kneepads, elbow pads, wrist guards and a helmet, because falling is part of the game. You’re better off falling forwards than backwards, because the pads can help with any potential shocks; falling backwards will cause problems for your back. If you feel that you’re going to fall backwards, try to grab onto your knees, which will help you lean forward. You may want to practice this a few times on a carpeted surface, to have an idea of what you’re doing when you actually take it on the road.

Practicing how to brake will also help if you find yourself in a tricky spot. The best way to brake is to move one of your feet forward (it doesn’t matter which one) and slightly bend your knee so that you apply pressure on the heel of your skate until you make a full stop.

In addition to these basic tips, you should start out slowly, probably in your driveway, if you have one. Having a proper understanding of how to balance, move and stop will eventually help you have a fun skating experience.

Ice Skating: A Few Useful Tips

Ice skating can be both leisurely and strenuous. While it can be difficult to initially get the hang of, in the end ice skating can be great fun and great exercise. If you’ve never gone skating before, you won’t be Kristi Yamaguchi the second you put on a pair of skates and hit the ice. You’ll probably fall on your butt a bunch of times, but don’t fret…it happens to all of us.

Ice skates are believed to date back as far as over 3,000 years ago in Finland. Originally they were sharpened pieces of bone that were attached to one’s feet. There was no real figure skating as we know it back then; these types of skates were mainly used for transport where people actually glided across the ice instead of skating. Bone would be replaced with steel sometime in 14th century Holland; these skates featured sharpened edges making it easier to move on the ice. Figure skating, didn’t really come into vogue until the late 19th century. As more people skated as a pastime, it eventually became more popular and evolved into a competitive sport around the turn of the century.

Skating isn’t just relegated to the winter months, some cities and towns have year round skating rinks, yet many could argue that there’s something really exhilarating about skating on a frozen lake or pond when it’s cold outside.

Finding the Right Pair of Skates

The first step is finding the right kind of skates. It’s important to pick a pair that are comfortable and fit your feet properly. Also, owning your own skates will make it easier compared to relying on rental skates, which can be very uncomfortable if they don’t fit properly. Figure skates tend to have greater flexibility and will fit your foot better than say ice hockey skates, which are usually heavier and more bulky.

Once you’ve got your skates, try walking on them (keep the plastic skate guards on while doing this, so the blades don’t get dull). Maintaining a balance on skates, is similar to riding a bike. Sure, you’ll experience some wobbling at first, but that’s normal. Your feet and body need time to adjust to the skates, so if you can balance yourself in this manner, you’ll have less difficulty when you tackle the ice for the first time.

Hitting the Ice

Like a skier hitting the slopes for the first time, you need to feel comfortable and familiarize yourself with how to walk and move on the ice. If you’re at an ice rink and it’s not terribly crowded, try walking along the walls so as to get a feel for the ice. There’s no need to rush things…you’ll probably fall on the ice at first, so go at a pace that you feel comfortable with. It’s best to keep your body loose instead of rigid. You should also keep your knees slightly bent while skating, which will also help you to move along with reduced effort. As you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself getting a rhythm going, and negotiating will be relatively easy.

And while on the subject of hitting the ice, it’s probably not a bad idea to practice the proper way to fall. Everyone falls on the ice and if you should slip and try to brace yourself from the impact; pushing your arms out to break the fall will help cushion your body as it hits the ice. It wouldn’t hurt to invest in knee, wrist and elbow pads as well as a helmet as a preventive measure.

How to Stop on the Ice

Sure, you can start skating, but how do you stop? It takes some practice but the best way is to bend your knees slightly inward and then gradually push out either one or both feet. A little pressure will create some snowy residue and overall keep your feet from sliding out from underneath you and landing on your butt.

With a little preparation and practice, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to master the ice…so give it a whirl, if you’re up for the challenge.